Stable isotope composition and parasitic infections of harbor seal young‐of‐the‐year used as prey‐based diet indicators

• Published in: Marine mammal science Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 7 - 26
• Main Authors: Vega, Camille, Lebreton, Benoit, Lehnert, Kristina, Asmus, Ragnhild, Siebert, Ursula, Asmus, Harald
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beaufort Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2018; Wiley
• Subjects: Adults; Animal tissues; Chemical composition; Diet; Environmental Sciences; Fish; Fish diets; Forage; Foraging; Infections; Isotope composition; Isotopes; Lactation; Marine mammals; Milk; Muscles; Nitrogen isotopes; Nursing; Phoca vitulina; postweaning fast; Prey; prey‐based diet; Puppies; Seals; Stable isotopes; Temporal variations; Tissue; Tissues; trophically transmitted parasites; Vibrissae; Wadden Sea; young‐of‐the‐year; δ13C and δ15N; Pey-based diet; Trophically transmitted parasites; δ13C and δ15N; Postweaning fast; Lactation; Young-of-the-year; Wadden Sea; Phoca vitulina

The stable isotope composition (δ13C and δ15N values) of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) is influenced by their diet. Young‐of‐the‐year during lactation and postweaning fast are expected be enriched in 15N compared to foraging seals. We studied the temporal variation of stable isotope composition of y...